Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch

If you work our regularly, you probably check your heart rate on occasion. Or maybe you don’t. If you don’t, it’s probably because it can be inconvenient to check WHILE exercising so you have to stop, find a clock or look at your watch, count your pulse and multiply it by whatever to find out your beats per minute. Face it; it’s inconvenient. Wouldn’t it be great to have a way to check your heart rate quickly and easily? Oh, wait. There is one.

Fitness Experts

Polar is a company that specializes in a huge range of fitness products. They have expertise in sports, electronics, and anatomy and physiology. On top of all of this, they have an inherent understanding of the needs of their customers. They’ve been in the business for quite a while. Back in 1977 Polar invented the first accurate wireless EKG heart rate monitor.

Train Effectively

Training, for any aerobic physical activity, must be done effectively to obtain optimal results. Setting goals, tracking progress, and monitoring heart rate are all important factors in the most successful training workouts. Just simply heading out and running around the block a few times won’t yield the same results as a carefully planned, executed, and monitored training session.

Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch Features

This popular monitor has features that are useful and motivating:

heart rate monitor
heart rate displayed as percent of maximum
heart rate displayed as beats per minute
target heart rate zone indicator
training program
training targets
audible heart rate notification
customized target zone for individual sessions
calorie expenditure goals for long and short term goals

Heart Rate Monitor

The most critical piece of this system is the heart rate monitor. The watch receives data from the Polar Wearlink and transmitter. The Wearlink is a soft strap that goes around the chest to monitor heart rate. It is made of a soft material and adapts to body shape. Hook mechanism for closure makes this easy to put on and take off.

Target Heart Rate Zone

The Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch determines an individual’s target heart rate zone according to age. Results may be viewed in beats per minute (bpm) or percent (%) of maximum heart rate. This measure of how hard your heart is working helps customize the intensity of your workout. The visual and audible alarm will alert you to heart rates outsides of the preset zone. Note: the target zone may be manually entered rather than computed by age.

Polar OwnCal

The OwnCal feature is a calorie calculator. You can track calories burned in each workout or cumulative calories over a period of workouts. Fat burned is also estimated in percentage form.

It’s a STAR

The Polar STAR Training Program is a tool for creating and achieving training goals. The program creates weekly workout targets that include intensity and duration. Training programs are based on fitness level, activity level, personal training goals, weight, height, age, and sex.

By the Way, It’s a Watch

In addition to the nifty training features, this Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch actually IS a watch. The watch features include:

backlit display
date and day
multilingual display options
dual time zone display
keylock to prevent accidental button pushes
low battery indicator (1 year battery life based on 1 hour per day, every day for a year)
time with alarm and snooze setting
replaceable batter (by user)
water resistant up to 30m
2 year warranty

Who Needs a Trainer Watch?

Sure, people getting ready to run a marathon or something are the obvious customers for an item like this, but if you take a minute to consider, is there anyone who exercises who couldn’t benefit from it? It’s a watch – okay, lots of us wear watches – but that just shows how small this incredibly powerful computer is! It fits on your wrist and is, quite frankly, smaller than some of the oversized fashion watches I’ve seen lately. You can wear this walking, biking, jogging, spinning, doing aerobics, kickboxing, or any other workout that’s effectiveness relies on heart rate.

What are People Saying About Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch?

I can tell you a lot about this product, but the most helpful comments are from those who have used it. Overall, the device has an average 4 out of 5 star rating. Check out these reviews:

“The screen is very easy to read, easy to change the readout while working out, and really made a difference in my ability to stay in a good cardio zone.”

“…if you’re interested in tracking weight loss, the watch asks you weekly to enter your weight and it tracks that for you graphically as well. It also takes the weight change into account when planning your next week’s workout goals.”

“The heart rate strap (in the box) is so comfortable that I forget I have it on.”

“By the way, the picture give for this product does not do justice to it. It is a fantastic looking watch! I wear business casual most days and frequently a suit out to dinner. This fits my wardrobe perfectly! Very handsome. It would certainly go with bluejeans and a baggy sweatshirt, too.”

“I have only had the FT60 for a week, but I find myself working out longer and at the correct intensity for my goals. Before I had no real logic to my workouts, I would just break a good sweat. With this HRM I target certain levels of intensity to be more productive and accomplish my goals.”

Negatives?

You can’t please everyone. The most notable negatives were the lack of a stopwatch and some people had difficulty with the strap not sensing the heartbeat. Many solved the issue of not picking up the heart beat by dampening the areas of the chest where the connections are to enhance connectivity.

Availability

The Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch is currently available through Amazon.com. It qualifies for Amazon’s Free Super Saver Shipping Discount.

Bottom Line

To increase the efficiency of your workout, give the Polar FT60 Men’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch a try. You’ll be amazed at what a difference a little awareness of your heart rate can make.